


Setters Bond Over Failed Tests

by semishirants



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Karaoke, M/M, Post-Interhigh, Self-Indulgent, SemiShira - Freeform, Shiratorizawa things, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21848359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/semishirants/pseuds/semishirants
Summary: Semi has to re-take his English test so he can participate in the training camp. There’s gonna be barbeque, and he can’t miss it!
Relationships: Semi Eita & Tendou Satori, Semi Eita/Shirabu Kenjirou
Comments: 6
Kudos: 141





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> oh boy, i only write one-shot stories, but here we go. it's gonna be three chapters long, i think? *cross fingers*

Semi sighed slowly as he finally caught sight of the huge F mark on his English test, and it was Finals week. This wasn’t his best mark throughout the semester; actually, he never got excellent marks on any of his subjects so far, with the exception of Gym class, but there’s a reason why he got to Shiratorizawa on a sports scholarship.

And was enrolled in the lowest class.

If he wasn’t that good at volleyball, he’d be nothing but a fucking huge dumbass.

“Ooohhh not your best SemiSemi,” Tendou whispered behind him. Semi couldn’t bother to return a snarky remark, and his pride was sinking lower into the ground when he saw Tendou got a better mark than him. A passing mark, even. Tendou was so invested in anime that he got into movies, even Western ones that all those English must’ve paid off. 

“I don’t understand, I studied my ass off,” The middle blocker was about to say something, but he felt a pang of frustration from the ash blond that he was afraid to say anything stupid. “Satori, we both had a tutorial session from Reon. You saw how I fought my sleep. Tell me, what did I do wrong this time?”

“Eh, Eita-kun, you seemed distracted, well more distracted these days. You were out of focus that it was a waste of time.”

Chewing the insides of his cheeks, he thought it's better to throw this sorry excuse of a test than to keep it. The crumpled paper flew right across Shirabu who was fixing his shoelaces. Semi’s eyes grew wide of out shock, really, he doesn’t want to deal with Shirabu right now.

“Hey, watch it.” The brunet hissed in his direction. The third year felt something boil inside of him as he realized the answer to his question. _If it wasn’t for this little shit, I wouldn’t have been distracted and flubbed my test._

Semi tried to organize his thoughts, and figured that it’s wise to ignore whatever it is that’s making him want to deal with Shirabu right now. _The kid’s done nothing wrong this time. Fuck, I’ve been warned by my English teacher about this test. I need to take some remedial lessons, but shit, excessive training starts this week._

Yeah right.

“I need to go,” he said to no one in particular as he rummaged through his textbooks. Good thing they are on break today; he’s got time to negotiate some matters to his subject teacher.

“Oi- Semi! Where are you going?” Tendou asked him from his locker.

“To the faculty department,” he replied with a sheepish smile. They don’t have to know about this, it’s embarrassing. 

“You better not miss karaoke night!” Yamagata butted in. “Wakatoshi’s treating us to barbecue! Oh but don’t tell anyone else, we’re on a tight budget.”

Semi replied with a salute.

“Sensei, is there anything I can do to pass this semester? And possibly anytime soon?” Semi was glad that Uta-sensei was available during lunch. She was a young woman, fresh from university and Semi had no problems in talking to her. She wasn’t that strict with her students, but she knows how to gain their respect.

Hopefully, Eita can find a way to gain a passing mark from this.

“Semi-kun, you already know what to do,” she chuckles while fixing her glasses, “just remember to attend my remedial lessons- “

“I k-know but- _I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted_ ,” _ughh Eita you just had to be rude to her don’t you?!_

“Hm, alright, how can I help you? I’m listening.”

“W-Well, the volleyball club will have a training camp starting next week, sensei. And with the remedial lessons starting on Monday from 7 to 8, I’m afraid that it will clash with volleyball, and stuff.” Semi squeezed his eyes shut as he said those last words. He never wanted to bring the topic of volleyball with his teachers; they told him that he needs to balance his academics and the sport, but Eita was obviously prioritizing his love for the game.

“Volleyball again? Alright, alright. I have another option for your problem Semi-kun, just wait here for a while.”

Semi was fidgeting outside of the faculty room; he was listing all the options about what it would take for him to deal with this subject. Does he need to clean all the bathrooms from the academy? But how will that help him improve his English though?”

“Alright Semi-kun, here’s my condition,” Uta-sensei was scanning through her phone, looking for available time slots. “Here we go, I will be available on Saturday, 10 AM in my office. Meet me there and you can re-take the test. This time, you’ll have to get 90% of them right in one take. Do we have a deal?”

 _90%? Fuck, I can’t even get half right. Oh dear brain, please function well for me._

“I-In one take?” Semi took a huge gulp, sucking all the air out of him.

“You’d like a challenge don’t you? That, or we’ll have exclusive night classes again.”

“Oh sensei, you can count on me, and I’ll be there at 9:45. Thank you for your time. Excuse me!”

Fuck!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> junior high memories + the stuffed toy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes, January is fast approaching.

“Eita,” Reon called him over, doing so when the fellow third year was lost in his thoughts; evident in his messy handwriting in an attempt to plan out the whole week. “You sure it’s okay to leave Satori the whole microphone tonight?”

“Totally, please keep him occupied. Have him sing horrible duets with Wakatoshi. Whatever,” he took a turn from his study table and glanced at Reon, who was carrying a water bottle and some freshly baked cookies. “I wanted to join you guys, but I have to work on this one.”

“You sure you don’t need my help this time?” 

“Nah, I gotta do this on my own. Plus, I kind of feel bad for failing this test when you worked so hard in tutoring us.” Semi stood up and reached on the top shelf of his cabinet to grab the keys to the main gate. Handing it to Reon, he gave out some instructions. “Please, make sure the living room stays as it is when my parents come home tomorrow. Later, I’ll bring out the futons. Would it be alright if you lock the gates?”

Reon placed the snacks beside Eita’s desk, “Alright, don’t beat yourself up. I’m sure everything will work out if you try your best. Don’t hesitate to approach me at practice okay?”

“Thanks man.”

“-make me your Aphrodite! Make me your one and only!” Eita squeezed both of his ears as the lyrics came out of Satori’s mouth. The middle blocker just had to add unnecessary voices i.e. moaning and- _is he humping on something?! The hell, Goshiki probably had to witness that!_

“I hope Reon is protecting Tsutomu,” he sighed to himself. He managed to sort out his vacant time, and so far, he’ll have two hours for studying per day ‘til Friday, not to mention tomorrow is Wednesday; he’ll have the whole afternoon to review. Saitou-sensei, their assistant coach had given them the choice to either rest for the whole week or perform their daily exercises. The coaches prefer for them to rest though, because by next week, they’ll be back on some harsh training regimens again.

Semi’s musings stopped when the door to his room creaked open. Slowly, a tuff of copper hair creeped inside, and entered Shirabu. “Semi-san, you’re here. So this is your room”

“My name’s literally spelled out in front of my door,” he tried not to roll his eyes, but it’s hard not to whenever Shirabu is involved. It’s clear by now that they don’t really have the best relationship out of everyone in the team. “Do you need anything, Shirabu?”

The other remained silent but he led himself to sit on the foot of Eita’s bed. Semi decided to focus on the notebook in front of him, but he was curious of the second year’s next interests and everything went well until Shirabu’s yawn managed to escape from his lips. “Ah, getting sleepy now, aren’t we?”

“Hm,” Kenjirou nodded, but his caramel brown eyes are piercing on the back of Semi’s head. He could feel it. “Would it be okay if I look around and stuff? I’m trying not to fall asleep yet.”

“Yeah sure, whatever. Suit yourself.”

For once, they shared a comfortable silence together; both having to keep everything to themselves. With the team, they had to force each other to talk; be it about the weather or Tendou. 

Semi stood up from his chair and reached his arms up for a stretch. Next on his agenda, he has to gather his previous tests and his notes. He already has three papers from his bag, with the exception of the latest one. _Ah, dumbass. You threw it away yesterday._

Uta-sensei usually just repeat some of the items for her tests, so Eita gathered everything for reference. 

“I should borrow Reon’s notes tomorrow,” he whispered to himself. Calling it a day, he decided to fix his desk and prepared the materials. Grabbing his pencils, his mind caught up in the sound of wooden frames crashing together.

“Ow,” Shirabu muttered, placing a hand on his forehead to ease out the pain. Semi, out of panic, skipped to where he was laying and saw the photos of his junior high memories scattered innocently on his floor. Shirabu’s free hand was clutching on Eita’s worn-out brown rabbit stuffed toy; he remembered hiding it on the uppermost portion of his wooden wall cabinet. “Help? I can’t get up.”

“Shit, did you fall on your arms? Your head?” Shirabu shook his head no, but he managed to explain bumping his forehead on the corner of the cabinet. “Alright, I’ll get some ice.”

“You should’ve asked for my help in getting Bunbun,” Semi said while carefully pressing the ice pack on the younger boy’s forehead. 

“Bunbun?”

“The rabbit.”

“Oh,” Shirabu’s gaze fell on the floor, and he won’t admit, but he was basking in Semi’s gentle nature. The former setter seemed lost in his own thoughts that he missed the call of his kouhai talking to him. His mind flew back to where they are now; sitting on the carpeted floor with their knees touching. 

“I have to pick up the photos. You stay here and hold the compress okay?” Shirabu nodded and left him on his own; he was kind of dizzy with the impact that he should really stay put. Semi scooped up the photos in a second, he missed one particular picture that fled to Shirabu’s feet. 

Shirabu picked it up. It was a photograph of Semi and Ushijima from what seems to be, in their junior high days. Semi, after securing the photos in the cabinet, went back to the brunet. His eyes still locked on the shot. 

“Ah, I remember that.” Semi laughed at a memory.

“Hm?”

“Out of everyone in my junior high volleyball team, I was probably the only one who was happy despite losing to Ushijima’s. I had asked him for a photo right away. Anyway, do you want to sleep here?” Semi asked, fixing the bedsheets.

“Would it be alright? And I’m sorry for the mess.” Shirabu still has the stuffed toy in his hands. Semi was scanning through a cabinet, and later on handed Shirabu a loose shirt.

“Yep. Figured you don’t want to sleep next to the team like me. I’ll be on the floor.”

“Okay, I guess.” Kenjirou’s last memory was the sight of Semi going back to his desk, and the scent of certain pinch servers warm beneath the sheets.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy Pancakes featuring Kawanishi’s sweet tooth + Soil Science Major Ushijima

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> most of these chapters are inspired by some recent events of my life lmao (explains their class schedules and stuff) and i am almost done with this.

In the morning, Semi woke up from the sound of his smartphone blasting its usual ringtone right above his head. Half awake, the time from the screen read 5:00 AM. Semi unlocked his phone to turn off the remaining alarm notifications, and by the time he was done fixing his mat, he received a notification with the seal of Shiratorizawa right beside it.

_Dear Students,  
We apologize for the short notice, but the academy will have an emergency faculty meeting and all students are dismissed from their classes for the day. You may stay in your dormitories or at home with your respective guardians, but we shall hold back our regular classes the day right after._

_Sincerely,  
Principal XXX_

Well, the gods must have granted him more time for the test. 

Shirabu was still asleep on his bed, and the rabbit was innocently hanging on the edge of the bed that Semi quickly tucked it in safely in the sleeping boy’s arm. 

Semi’s morning rituals are nothing spectacular. A few light exercises, cleansing his face, brushing his teeth, and lazily keeping his wild hair in bobby pins, call it a day. He switched into an old loose shirt and a pair of gym shorts. The call for breakfast was evident with Semi’s grumbling stomach, so he decided to go straight to the kitchen.

“Morning Semi-san,” Kawanishi was innocently standing right next to the island table. Semi just ruffled his hair, wincing at the sight of the second year’s mini feast. The Semis’ cupboard seemed to be empty when all of the maple syrup, chocolate drizzles and whipped cream are all laid out in front of the tall kouhai. In the sink, cups and bowls have occupied the small area, and Eita could guess that the team might have attempted to make a pancake mixture, but settled for some ready-made ones when he caught sight of some cheap pancake boxes. 

“Ohira-san made some hot coco, it’s in the kettle. And I prepared your share of the pancakes,” Kawanishi pushed the stack of pancakes at Semi’s direction. He seemed proud of his art, with the maple and chocolate mixing together and the whipped cream on top, but Eita figured the boy purposely did so, knowing his senpai’s aversion to sweets. 

“Taichi, you can have as many pancakes as you like. I can’t bear to eat this.”

“Cool. Oh, I shouldn’t have offered you this in the first place,” Semi raised his eyebrow in confusion. _What do you mean?_ “You and Kenjirou left me to suffer last night. You didn’t tell me you slept together in your room.”

“Taichi, can you be more careful with your words?”

He simply gave his senpai a glass of water. “You have no excuse. The both of you could have shared the bed while I slept on the floor. But thanks a lot, Tendou-san’s face had to be the one to greet me in the morning.”

“I’m sorry you had to experience that. Where are the others?”

Time check, it was 6:05 AM. Shirabu had woken up, and Semi had to turn on the stoves and cook some sunny side-up eggs for the picky brunet. His motherly instincts pushed him to make a glass of milk to include in Shirabu’s breakfast. 

“Thank you,” Kenjirou softly mumbled while chewing some eggs in a slow manner. It isn’t some five-star hotel menu, but Semi is honestly good with spices and herbs. Even fried eggs feel like royalty. 

In the back of Eita’s home, lies a small garden; the prized possession of Semi’s mom. Two aces have huddled together around some empty pots and freshly grown seedlings. Ushijima was the one who insisted to take charge of the garden to Mrs. Semi, much to her delight. He was good at gardening; it was his second major hobby. He invited Goshiki with him, because according to Tendou, it would be good for the spikers to bond together. It would help them with volleyball. Goshiki wondered how dirt would help him claim the title of ace though. _Could it be a metaphor?_

“Goshiki,” Ushijima’s too-deep-voice-for-a-teenager startled the first year, “put the seedlings in the pots with this amount of soil. Be careful with the roots, they’re still young.”

“Hai!”

For five minutes, the both of them have managed to complete the task; more like Ushijima was fixing Goshiki’s minor mistakes. Afterwards, Ushijima handed Goshiki the watering can while he grabbed the water hose. “Let’s water the young ones.”

“Um, Ushijima-senpai? How do you get that much power from volleyball? Tendou-senpai wanted me to ask about it.”

“I perform our daily drills, eat the right amount of nutritious food, and jog around the town.”

“W-Well I do that too! B-But I’m still not as strong as you.”

Ushijima seemed lost in his thoughts, and Goshiki was quite scared for asking him that question. It’s probably too much, and the wonder ace is not the type to hold on to conversations.

“A volleyball player is like a plant,” he started. “For it to grow, you must provide it with water and the right amount of sunlight.”

“O-Oh, well I just need to perform the drills right?” 

“But,” he cut off, “each plant is different. One needs more water, while the other can live without it for days. One needs sunlight, while the other has no need for it. Some plants grow only in specific types of soils; because some soils tend to be more acidic. In that case, the plant won’t survive. In volleyball, you can only grow stronger when you belong to a team that fits you perfectly, like a plant to a healthy soil.”

“Is that how you feel with the team, senpai?”

“Hm, perhaps.”

Back to the living room, the two starting second years spent the rest of the morning watching some documentaries. Eita decided to wash the dishes; not like he’d let his guests fix their leftovers. He was too preoccupied that he barely heard the small footsteps coming from behind.

“Boop,” a finger poked his left arm. In a bored tone, Shirabu said, “What are you doing, Semi-san?”

“You have eyes. What do you think?”

“Later?”

“Ah, well I have to start working on my English test. Why?”

“Can I join you for that? I have some reading materials too. And Tendou-san insisted we study together.”

Shirabu is usually quiet during study sessions. He gets productive with his work that his study habits sometimes affect others in a good way. “Uh, I guess? You sure you don’t mind?”

“No, and maybe I could help you with your studies,” he looked downwards after that, “for offering me your bed, and the warm breakfast. I know, how generous of me. You can thank me later.”

“You think you could help me? Reon’s techniques don’t work on me.”

“That’s not something to be proud of.”


	4. Last Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> how it happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disappointed with this, but at least it's over *shrugs*

In the late afternoon, Semi had to do some minor cleaning before his parents would arrive. He left a note, saying that he’ll be returning to the academy, and with his departure he brought his test papers, notes (courtesy of Reon), his room keys and the stuffed toy; Shirabu had instructed him to bring the last one. 

The academy takes twenty minutes by foot, and with the good weather he’s having, strolling down the streets with Cascada’s iconic ‘Everytime We Touch’ song in his ears is a great exercise to mentally prepare himself. Halfway, he met with some familiar neighborhood pets; with some quick petting here and there, he made sure not to lose his pace. He still has to stop by the convenience store to buy some snacks; strawberry milk, chocolate chip cookies, and a chocolate bar. Again, Shirabu’s instructions.

He arrived in his dormitory room, two minutes ahead of their meeting time. Just in time, he saw Shirabu across the hallway. He was sporting a baby pink sweater that hung perfectly on his slender frame, with a pair of light blue jeans that emphasized his legs. Finishing his look with a pair of white sneakers, it was amazing how he managed to look soft and somewhat adorable, if it wasn’t for his facial expression. 

Semi doesn’t say it though.

“Good, I thought you weren’t going to come,” 

“I can’t afford to skip this. Come on, let’s get inside.”

It wasn’t long before the two setters settled down to start their agenda. Semi is on his study table, working on some assessment tests that Shirabu prepared for him. Basically, it will help Kenjirou to know where to focus on their tutorial; identifying Eita’s weak points in the test. Since the English test covers English vocabulary, Kenjirou made sure that Eita gets to understand more of the words effectively by reading to him some passages.

“I don’t understand how this works,”

“Just shut up and listen to me. I have to read it to you because you tend to doze off when you do it yourself. I’m only doing this once. Now, here goes~”

After Kenjirou decided that some words grew familiar to Eita, they decided for a five-minute-break. Following the short pause, he handed some worksheets to his senpai; covering the material from different levels of difficulty. 

_He needs to work more on his spelling_. He noted. Semi had no problem with basic English words, but Kenjirou had him read more passages (mostly poems and short stories) that use complex words while handing him the latest version of Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Semi winced at the heavy book, but the smart kouhai already confiscated his phone, saying it will distract him from his studies. The cycle goes on. Eita reads, answers a new set of questions, and reads again until somehow, he could manage to broaden his knowledge for the foreign language.

Kenjirou, on the other hand, busied himself in cleaning Eita’s room. It wasn’t part of the plan, but he offered to do so when he couldn’t handle any of his senpai’s messy belongings anymore. It started when he asked for a hair tie; it took a while before Eita could find a spare. 

“Shirabu, you don’t have to do that,” Semi said after thirty minutes have passed. Shirabu was already fixing his wardrobe when he only said to clean the floor. 

“Semi-san, go back to answering your test. Besides, I’m not doing this for you,” Kenjirou finished piling his clothes, along with the ones fresh from the laundry, “I can’t stand messy rooms. Now get back to reading.”

“Fine, suit yourself."

They took a quick break, munching on the snacks that Eita bought. Kenjirou silently checked his progress, making a few notes from his little notepad.

Time check, it was 5:07 PM. Shirabu opened his laptop, the photo of the volleyball team popping on the screen. Semi threw away the food wrappers before climbing on to the bed right next to Shirabu. 

“So, what do you have in mind?” he asked, while the other was adjusting to his newly worn loose shirt. Kenjirou just had to spill his milk on his sweater, resulting to a change of clothes. 

“A new strategy.”

“This isn’t volleyball- “

“Hush. We’re going to watch an old film. Slight disclaimer: it’s so terrible, I could cry just thinking about it, with the most horrible story plot there is known to the history of filming. But we’re here for the movie lines. You’ll learn some new words.”

Kenjirou was already covered in thick warm sheets, clutching tightly on the stuffed toy from Semi; with the air conditioner blasting in full power, he almost took all the warmth to himself.

“Oi, mind if you wanna share the blankets?”

“The movie’s starting now,”

“Kenjirou.”

“…”

Semi decided to sneak an arm around Shirabu, pulling him next to his chest while they both rest their backs on the wall beside the bed. A soft giggle escaped from his mouth, surprising both of them, when Semi’s fingers brushed against his tummy. After Semi covered the both of them in thick sheets, he sighed while the scenes flash on the bright screen. 

Semi glued his eyes on the movie for an hour and a half already. Kenjirou would pinch his tummy when he even tries to shut his eyes for a few moments.

Shirabu seemed comfortable, laying his head on Semi’s chest. Eita would have pushed him away, shocked at how Shirabu hasn't pulled himself away from him, but the shorter boy was already sleeping at soft, steady breathings. _Offering him my warmth doesn’t cost much_ , he thinks.

When the movie was done, it was dinner time already. Semi carefully cradled his junior to lay completely on the bed, and started piling his notes and tests. A few minutes later, Shirabu made a few little noises, startled, his messy copper head popped out from the blankets. 

“Eita? Is it dinner time already?”

“U-Uh yeah,” Semi coughed a bit, surprised when Shirabu called him by his given name, “Satori wants us to join them. Let’s go?”

“Give me a second.”

On Saturday morning, Semi switched to dry, comfortable clothes after he personally excused himself to Ushijima. The captain assured him that the coaches will be informed of his sudden leave, but he thinks he can manage to slip away from practice when the head coach appeared with a good mood that day.

Shirabu was a good tutor; he could tell from his promising marks from their mock tests. Along with that, it seemed that the two setters have found a way to be together without petty arguments and sneaky little pranks.

“Senpai?” The brunet called up to him when Eita was about to head over to the next building.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Ah, well,” Shirabu was checking the pockets of his gym shorts, and handed over a wooden pencil to Semi’s hands, “For your exam. I hope you’ll do well.”

“Is this pencil lucky or what?” He joked. It was just an ordinary pencil though, but Shirabu flashed him a small cheeky grin. A rare thing from the usual scowling setter.

“I aced the entrance exam with that. You should take it; you might need it more these days.” At a loss for words, Semi returned the smile, prompting to leave until Shirabu said it again, “Eita? If-If you need me to tutor you again, I won’t mind staying in your crappy dorm for a few nights.”


End file.
